Last Film Show (2022)
(Chhello Show, Pan Nalin, India 2022, 110 min., DCP, Gujarati w/English Subtitles)
When young Samay (Bhavin Rabari) sees a film projected for the first time, his life is changed forever. Samay and his family live a simple life in their train-stop village when his father takes them to town to see a religious film. Samay is mesmerized by the light coming from the port window and begins to play with light through windows and prisms. He skips school to sneak back to the theater where he befriends the projectionist, Fazal (Bhavesh Shrimali). In exchange for his mother’s cooking, Samay is allowed to spend time in the projection booth and learn the trade. His imagination is engaged just as a major change is on the horizon. Part Spielberg, part Cinema Paradiso, this love letter to cinema, and film in particular, is loosely based on director Pan Nalin’s own childhood and his expansive appreciation of the form. India’s selection for this year’s Academy Awards race, this is the perfect film for The Dryden to celebrate the art and science of cinema.